Gas-generating furnace



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GAS GENERATING FURNACE.

No. 280,691. Patented July 3, 1883.

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(No Model.) 5. Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. B. VAN BENTHUYSEN.

GAS GENERATING FURNACE.

N0. 280,691. Patented July 3, 1883.

Witnesses Inventur Wm Ham; fl M (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 3. H. B. VAN BENTHUYSEN.

GAS GENERATING FURNACE.

,691. Patented July 3, 1883.

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Witnesses:

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5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

H. B. VAN BENTHUYSEN.

GAS GENERATING FURNAGE.

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GAs GENERATING FURNACE. No. 280,691. Patented July 3, 1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY B. VA'N BENTHUYSEN, OF PHGENIXVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

GAS-GENERATING FURNACE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,691, dated July 3, 1883.

Application filed March 16, 1883.

1'0 a/ZZ whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY B. VAN BEN- THUYSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Phoenixville, Chester county, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Gas-Generating Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in gas-generating furnaces for obtaining supplies of carbonic-oxide gas to be used for heating, puddling, melting, and smelting, and other furnaces in which a clear flame is a desirable substitute for that resulting from the direct consumption of fuel.

The main objects of my invention are, first,

to provide means for so disposing of the ashes at frequent intervals, and while the furnace is in operation, that there shall be auniform and continuous consumption of coal and generation of gas; second, to afford openings and passages of large area for the prompt escape of the generated gases from the furnace; third, to prevent the waste of coal, which has been a serious objection to furnaces of this class, and, fourth, to insure a proper distribution of coal within the furnace in feeding the same.

Other features and objects of my invention will be referred to hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, Sheet 1, is a vertical section of my improved gas-generator; Fig. 2, Sheet 2, a vertical sectionon the line 1 2, Fig. 1; Fig. *3, Sheet 3. a top view; Fig. 4, Sheet 4, a sectional plan on the line 3 4, ,Fig- 1; Fig. 5, Sheet 5, a detached view of the grate, drawn to an enlarged scale; Fig. 6, an edge view of the grate; and Fig. 7, Sheet 1, an enlarged sectional view, showing the hole through which a stirringbar may be introduced into the furnace.

A substantial structure of brick and iron, preferably of circular form externally, contains the ash-pit W, the grate F, gas-generating chamber A, and reservoir A communicating therewith. A plate, D, resting on the walls of the ash-pit, supports the brick-work, by which the chamber A and reservoir A are bounded, and surrounding the structure is an iron casing, w, to which a flange on the outer edge of the plate D is secured. As the greater portion of the plate D and its superstructure overhangs the ash-pit, I connect the said plate (No model.)

by diagonal stay-rods E (shown in Fig. 1) to the upper portion of the outer casing, w.

As shown in the plan view, Fig. 4, the combustion chamber is of oval form or of" a form approximating thereto; for, while it is not necessary toadhere to the precise form shown in the drawings, the opposite sides of the chamber must be made on such a curve as to induce the brick-work to be self-sustaining. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the chamber A is made 011 a taper, so as to diminish in size from the plate D to the point 00, whence to the top of the structure the reservor A may have parallel sides.

On the opposite sides of the combustion chamber are a number of vertically-elongated openings, y, each communicating with a passage, B, one set of passages communicating with an outlet-opening, b, on one side of the furnace and the other set of passages on the opposite side of the chamber communicating with the outlet 1).

As before remarked, one of the main objects ,of my invention is to afford free outlets for the gases from the generating-chamberan object which I attain with out disturbing the integrity of the brick-work, by making the combustion chamber of an oval form, the opposite sides of the chamber where the curves of the oval are least abrupt enabling me to make a number of elongated openings, y-five in the present instance-which could not be made in a furnace having a circular chamber.

An annular flue, O, is contained within the brick-work; or it may be between the brickwork and outer casing, w, this flue communicating in one .direction with opposite inlets c c, Fig. 3, for air, and in the other direction with the ash-pit W, through openings in the above-menti0ned supporting-plate D, this airflue preventing loss of heat by radiation.

7 The grate F, placed at a short distance below the plate D, is constructed and combined with operating appliances in the following manner: The grate is partly barred and partly plain, and is made in four parts or sections, so that it can be easily introduced through the doorways of the ash-pit, the lines 2 2 and 3 3 in Fig. 5 indicating the lines of junction of 100 same, so that all the sections are properly cured together. The grate is supported mi d way between its opposite ends by rollers G- G, Figs. 1 and 2, the journals of which are adapted to hearings in a frame secured to the foundation Y, a central rib, I, of the grate formed by the flanges where the sections meet being adapted to fit freely between the flanges of the rollers, as shown in Fig. 2. At each end of the grate are bearings 2'. for the journals of two small rollers, q I, which bear against ribs a on the under side of the supporting-plate l). A shaft, H, having its hearings in standards on m, extends through the ash-pit, and to this shaft are secured two pinions, 71, one for gearing into a short rack, '1' (shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) on the under side of the grate near one end of the same, and the other pinion gearing into a like rack near the opposite end of the grate. These pinions are flanged, so as to form additional supports for the grate, and cannot get out of gear with the racks, as the rising of the grate is prevented by the ribs a on the supporting-plate D. The shaft H is furnished at each end with an operating-lever, I, 011 vibrating which the grate will be reciprocated laterally.

To the under side of the supportingplate D are hinged flaps I, which, bearing against the edges of the grate, are free to vibrate when the said grate is reciprocated. One of these flaps bears against each of the opposite edges e n of the grate, Fig. 1., and against each of the inclined edges 0 of the same, Fig. 5, so as to prevent volumes of air from passing to the chamber A between the grate and plate D at the bottom of the said chamber, and thus induce the air for supporting combustion to pass between the bars of the grate.

On referring to Figs. 1 and 6 it will be seen that the upper edges of the bars of the grate are arranged in steps, the highest of which is in the middle, the lowest step extending over the plain portion of the grate. The tendency of these steps is to force the ashes outward when the grate is laterally reei n'ocated, the lla-ps l? yielding to the ashes, and so much of the same as do not pass through the bars of the grate being projected over the edge of the same.

The operation of my improved furnace is continuous, for, by making an elongated and comparatively narrow grate, corresponding in a measure with the oval form of the combustion-chamber, and by providing for the lat eral vibration of the grate, the ashes may be eflcctively disposed of. In fact, one of my objeots in making the combustionchamber of oval form is to adapt this narrow grate for the purpose of so clearing the combustioirchamher at repeated intervals that the operation of the furnace may be continuous.

The reservoir A is of oval shape, correspending with that of the chamber A. where the latter meets the said reservoir, and to throw coal at random into this reservoir would result in uneven distribution, and consequently in irregular consumption. For this reasoil l1 secure to the top of the furnace a hopper, J, which is separated by a partition, j, (Figs. 2 and 3,) into two compartments, in the bottom of each of which are two openings, the edges of the latter forming seats for two cone-shaped valves, 7; 7., opening downward.

A lever, 0, having two arms, one connected to each valve, is secured to a fulcrum-pin, f, which passes through and has its bearings in a hollow extension, f, of the hopper J, Fig. 1, and to the same pin is secured the weighted arm K, the tendency of the latter-being to close the valves in the absence of coal from the hopper.

It is important that both the valves should fit snugly to their seats, and for this'reason I make one of the links, 9, adjustable in length, the other link, Fig. 2, being of the ordinary character. The adjustability of the link 1/ is brought about in the present instance by making it in two parts, connected together by a screw-coupling, in a well'known manner, so that if the valve attached to this link reaches its seat before the other valve, or fails to do so, a proper adjustment of the link y will remedy the difficulty.

The coal which is admitted to the reservoir may require to be stirred from time to time, for which purpose I make holes in the bottom plate, I, of the hopper, three holes, in the present instance, 011 each side of the said hopper, so that a stirring-rod may be passed through any one of the said holes.

A section drawn to an enlarged scale of a portion of the bottom plate of the hopper is shown in Fig. 7 where one of the holes above referred to also appears. This holed is countersunk both on the upper and under side of the plate, so that the stirring-rod may have an extended lateral movement, as indicated by dotted lines in the said figure.

Above each stirring-hole is a slide, X, adapted to beveled guides on the plate Zof the hopper, so that the hole (1 can be closed after the stirring-rod has been withdrawn. A pipe, 0, communicating with any supply of water terminates in. the aslrpit, so that the water can be discharged onto the ashes whenever they have to be removed from the ash-pit. The ash-pit has opposite dcfln'wa-ys provided with suitable doors, N N, and above the latter are doorways also provided with doors M M, and opposite to the space between the grate and the supportingplatc D. The passages 13 are in clined at the bottom, so that there can be no permanent lodgment of fuel therein, and these passages extend so far down into the chamber A and are of such altitude that they afford avenues of large area for the escape of the gases.

I claim as my invention- 1. A gas-gcnerating furnace in which the gencrating-chamber is made of oval form. and with inclined sides, substantially as set forth.

2. A gas-generating furnace in which a generating-chamber, A, of oval form and having inclined sides,-is combined with outlet-open ings y and passages B at Opposite sides of the chamber, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, in a gas-generating fur- 5 nace, of a combustion-chamber of oval form with an elongated grate and mechanism for laterally reciprocating the same, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the plate D, the brick- 10 work structure containing the generatingchamber, the outer casing, w, and the diagonal stays E, substantially as specified.

.5. The combination of the chamber A of a gas-generating furnace, a grate situated below I 5 the lower end of the said chamber, and mech anism for reciprocating the grate with pendulous flaps 1?, bearing against the edges of the grate, all substantially as set forth.

6. The combination, in a gas-generating furhaving two pairs of openings and two pairs of valves with a weighted lever for each pair of valves and connecting-links, one of which is adjustable, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification-in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY B. VAN BENTHUYSEN.

Witnesses:

HARRY L. ASHENFELTER, HENRY HowsoN, J r. 

